The Great Escape (Rooms)

On Thursday, March 21st, students, faculty, and staff were invited to participate in several portable Escape Rooms that were set up inside MLB Auditorium. For those who have never attempted an Escape Room, the person or group of people inside are given a certain amount of time to solve clues and puzzles that will lead to a key that they need in order to “escape.” Each room has a different theme and different clues, so participants have a wide assortment of rooms to choose from. They have become increasingly popular over the last few years, and now businesses dedicated solely to building and managing Escape Rooms have popped up all across the country.

The original plan for the Escape Rooms event that took place on campus was that they were going to be set up on the Green, the lawn in front of the Admin Building. Unfortunately, the grass was too wet for the rooms to be properly set up. However, Dean Ritchey and the others involved with the event setup would not let that deter them from having this event. At the last minute, the rooms were instead moved inside to prevent tent posts sinking into the damp ground or people slipping and falling. This way, the event wasn’t a waste and students could still have the thrill of solving puzzles from the comfort of the indoors.

One of the attendees of the event, freshman Sarah Duley, had some high praise. “The Escape Rooms are a good example of how our campus is improving under Dean Ritchey’s administration,” she says. “Blue Mountain has so many strengths but student activities hasn’t [sic] always been one of them, and he’s going above and beyond to give students a recreational outlet.” Assuredly, many students share her sentiment, and appreciate everything that Dean Ritchey has done in the way of extracurricular activities. Just in this school year alone, there have been a wide variety of fun events, from movie nights to Fun in the Sun, a water-themed bonanza that occurred at the beginning of last semester.

There is so much more in store, too, because Dean Ritchey is undoubtedly looking well into the future for new ideas and fun times for the students of Blue Mountain College. Everyone on Blue Mountain campus should be excited for the plans that Dean Ritchey and his administration have for the student body. They are bound to be quite the treat.